Gun type well casing perforator



1, 1936. w. G. LANE 2,062,975

. V GUN TYPE WELL CASING PERFORATOR Filed July 16, 1935 ig mgggwg 4 Fm I gwuwwo Warez-0 GT LANE Patented Dec. 1, 1936- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUN ma WELL CASING PERFORATOR Application July 16, 1935, Serial No. 31,684

6 Claims.

My invention relates to gun type well casing perforators' and constitutes a continuation in part of my copending application for well casing perforators, Serial Number 642,410, filed November 12, 1932.

Among the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide in a well casing perforator a wiringarrangement which is adapted to connect a series of gun units individually with a. distributor head.

Second, to provide a well casing perforator incorporating a wiring arrangement which extends axially along the center of the perforator gun body and around each of its gun units in such a manner that the gun units may be readily secured or removed without interfering with the wiring.

Third, to provide a novelly arranged contact and terminal structure adapted to withstand the explosive forces generated within the gun units as well as extreme hydrostatic pressure.

Fourth, to provide a wiring arrangement which incorporates a novel means of sealing the wires in place to withstand such explosive forces as may back-fire into the passages in which the wiring is disposed.

With these and other objects in view as may appear hereinafter, reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a gun perforator which incorporates my special wiring arrangement;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view taken through 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view taken through 4-4 of Fig- 2;-

and,

Fig. 5 is a dis-assembled view in perspective of the terminal and contact structure carried by a gun unit.

The gun perforator comprises a plurality of body sections I connected through an internally threaded sleeve 2 to a controller casing 3 which in turn is connected with a cable head 4 supported from a conductor core cable 5. The cable head and controller are disclosed in other pending applications.

Each body section i is in the form of a cylinder with two or more large, axially spaced, laterally extending sockets Ia, preferably facing in diametrically opposite directions. Each unit is provided with a hollow externally threaded boss'lb at its upper end and a corresponding internally threaded recess Ic at its lower end whereby the body sections may be connected in axial alinement. Inasmuch as the body sections when once joined need not be separated except for infrequent replacement of a body section, the contiguous ends of the body sections are beveled to form channels to facilitate welding of the body sections into a single unit, as indicated by 6.

The wall between each pair of sockets Ia and the extremities of the body sections are provided with apertures Id disposed concentrically with respect to the body sections. The several apertures Id form with the several sockets a continuous passage from end to end of the body sections.

Each socket la is large and deep, and its back wall Ie conforms to the curvature of the body section. Intermediate its extremities and immediately forwardly of the points of intersection of the apertures Id, each socket la is provided with an internal annular flange or rib If. Outwardly of the rib, the socket is provided with coarse internal threads lg.

Each socket is adapted to receive a gun unit l which includes a chamber block Ia adapted to pass within the flange If and provided with an enlarged, externally threaded outer portion lb adapted to be screwed into the threads I g and seat against the outer face of the rib I8. The inner end of the chamber bl ck Ia and that portion of the corresponding socket Ia inwardly of the flange If together define a cup-shaped chamber A.

The upper body section which joins the sleeve 2 is covered at its extremity by a distributor body 8 formed of insulation material and carrying a plurality of contacts 8a. Said contacts are joined to a plurality of distributor wires 9, one for each contact and its gun unit.

Said distributor wires lead from their respective contacts through the apertures Id. In order to clear the gun units, the lengths of distributor wires within each socket are divided, one half extending semi-circularly in each direction around and contiguous to the wall of the g5 socket Ia. and inwardly of the rib If; that is, in the forward part of the chamber A. The wires are cemented or molded in place by means of a suitable plastic I6, such as Plastic wood. In

addition a split ring II of sheet insulation matether, to protect them from damage should the :unit' *blow back". 'At' each socket. Ia, one of the distributor wires 9 extends laterally to the back of the corresponding socket and is there secured, preferably by solder to a contact plate I3. Said contact plate is substantially oval shaped in plan and pressed to define a fraction of a sphere so as to conform to the back wall of the socket Ia. At the extremities ofits'longer axis, the contact plate I3. receives two screws I4 which are insulated therefrom and which screw into the gun body I. The contact plate is backed by a conforming insulation plate l5 which is somewhat larger in area. Both the contact plate and the insulation plate are provided with apertures |3a disposed coaxially with the socket la.

The chamber block Ia of each gun unit is provided with a coaxially disposed cartridge receiving chamber 'Ic therein, the back wall of which is provided with a centered recess Id which in turn isin'tersected by a small opening 'Ie extending to the rear end of the-chamber block. The rear or outerend of the opening 'Ie is countersunk, as indicated by If.

{I'lie opening 1e and recess Id receive a contact pin" l6 comprising a small shank IM and a relatively large head 16b. The shank Hill is insulated from the chamber block Ia by a sleeve I'I extending between the recess Id and the countersunk .end If. The head is insulated from the base of the 'recess'l-d by a washer l8. The head is slight- .ly smaller in diameter than its recess so no insulation is required around the periphery of the head. In the countersunk end If there is stuffed or compressed a conical sealing element or gasket I9 preferably formed of rubber. The gasket I9 is covered by a relatively large insulation disk 20. The extremity of the shank lGa protrudes beyond the disk 20 and receives a contact clip 2|. Said clip is in the form of a strip of spring material tapering slightly at its ends and adapted to be bent outwardly from the disk 20 so as to yieldingly engage the contact plate I3 when the gun unit is screwed into its socket. A nut 22 retains the clip The gasket I9 is particularly designed to prevent wetting ofithe powder in the cartridge con- .tained by the chamber Ic should the juncture between'thesame-or another gun unit and its socket leak and water enter the chamber A. The particular arrangement of the contact pin with its relatively massive head is designed to reduce the possibilityof f-blow backs to a minimum, and pressure within the chamber forces it tightly against the base 7 of the recess. However, it should be borne in mindthat a well casing perforator. is often operated under several thousand feet of liquid and that the resulting pressure within the chamber block of the gun unit is tremendous. When the hydrostatic head is excessive, and the liquid is dead; that is, without suspendedgas particles, the gun unit may "blow back through the contact pin-with the result that damage to the distributor wires would occur were it not for the plastic I 0' and insulation ring I I.

a It is, of course, desirable to provide as many gun units as possible in the gun perforator. However, as the perforator is carried on a cable, and for ease in handling above ground both the weight and length is limited. This requires that the gun units be mountedas close as possible; and this, to a large extent, is made possible by the particular wiring arrangement illustrated. The only waste space occurs between the body sections and this is partly due to the fact that in boring the sockets Ia,it is more convenient to turn the shorter body section, and partly to permit salvaging of the other body sections should one become damaged beyond repair.

Though I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereto, butdesire to include in the scope of my invention the constructions, combinations and arrangements substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a gun type well casing perforator; a gun body including laterally directed sockets and axially disposed apertures connecting said sockets; gun units fitting said sockets, portions of said sockets being diametrically larger than said gun units to define therewith annular passages interposed between said apertures; distributor wires threaded through said apertures and said passages; means for rigidly securing the lengths of said distributor wires within said annular passages; a contact element disposed at the base end of each socket, there being a terminal length of distributor wire extending from the corresponding securing means and connected with said element; and a coacting contact means carried by each gun unit.

2. In a gun type well casing perforator; a gun body including laterally directed sockets and axially disposed apertures connecting said sockets; gun units fitting said sockets, there being portions of said sockets which are diametrically larger than said gun units to define therewith annular passages interposed between said apertures; distributor wires threaded through said apertures and said passages; a contact element disposed at the base end of each socket, there being a distributor wire for each contact element; a coacting contact means carried by each gun unit; said contact means including, an insulated contact pin extending into the gun unit, an explosive pressure resisting head for said pin positioned within the gun unit, and a yieldable contact clip carried by the outer end of said contact pin.

3.-In a gun type well casing perforator; a gun body including laterally directed sockets and axially disposed apertures connecting said sockets; gun units fitting said sockets and having ried by each gun unit; said contact means including, an insulated contact pin extending into the gun unit, an explosive pressure resisting head for said pin positioned within the gun unit, and a yieldable contact clip carried by the outer end of said contact pin; each'gun unit having been countersunk around the protruding end of its contact pin, and a conforming sealing element forced therein.

4. In a gun unit for gun type well casing perforators; a chamber .block having a cartridge receiving chamber and an aperture extending from an end of the gun unit into said cartridge chamber; a contact means insulated from said chamber block and including a contact pin fitting said aperture, a contact head connectedto .portions spaced from the walls thereof to define said pin and exposed to said chamber, a sealing means incorporating the side of said contact head attached to said pin and the contiguous wall of said chamber for sealing against pressures 'within said chamber, and a terminal carried by the outer end of said contact pin; said chamber block being countersunk at the outer end of said aperture, and a conforming sealing element forced therein.

5. A well casing perforator including a body having a lateral socket, a fixed contact within said socket adapted to be connected with a source of electric energy, a separate gun unit fitted in said socket including an' inner explosive chamber, a firing conductor extending through the wall of said unit from the explosive chamber, and a yieldable contact clip carried by the conductor and engageable with the socket contact when the gun unit is fitted therein.

6. A well casing perforator including a body having a lateral socket, a fixed contact within said socket adapted to be connected with a source of electric energy, a separate gun unit fitted in said socket including an inner explosive chamber. a firing pin extending through a wall of saidunit from the explosive chamber and insulated from said unit, sealing means between the outer end of said pin and the unit, and a yieldable contact clip carried by the outer end of said pin and engageable with the socket contact when the gun unit is fitted therein.

V WILFRED G. 

